Long-term performance of food waste compost in suppressing acid mine drainage generation from fine coal refuse

Abstract

Surface passivation is a promising technique to control acid mine drainage (AMD) generation. The results of our previous study revealed that food waste compost mitigates pyrite oxidation by serving as a source of passivators and alkalies. This study evaluated the long-term efficacy of the compost and compost water extract (CWE) in suppressing pyrite oxidation via 70-week kinetic column leaching (KCL) tests using fine coal refuse (CR) samples with low and high pyrite levels (9.3wt% versus 12.7wt% of Fe). The KCL tests involved weekly watering of the CR and compost-amended CR by deionized water and the calcite-amended CR by CWE. The results indicated that with the exception of AMD generation after week 47 in the compost-amended high-pyritic CR, the compost or CWE treatments effectively suppressed AMD generation and potentially toxic element release throughout the study. Distinct Fe–S–Al–Si–O-enriched and aggregate-like coating layers were observed on pyrite surfaces in the compost- or CWE-treated columns, although the coverage and thickness are heterogeneous. The performance of the compost amendment method could be further improved by increasing compost dosage or adding extra alkalies. Overall, compost mitigates pyrite oxidation and AMD generation in the low-pyritic CR by inducing the formation of the passivation layer via organo-mineral interactions and serving in a neutralization capacity, respectively.

Keywords

Acid mine drainage / Pyrite oxidation / Compost / Kinetic column leaching / Surface passivation / Coal refuse

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